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Sorry in advance if this is a bit long but hoping someone can help.
Some background info: I'm 33F and generally healthy - I exercise a lot and eat a fairly balanced diet.
So for the past year I've had some bad joint pain in my knees (at least I think it's joint pain, maybe it's tendons or something).... I had no idea what was causing it. I work out a lot using weights and do some cardio so my first thought is that it's from working out (either bad form or doing too much or putting my knees in vulnerable positions). But I've been working out for 10 years in some shape or form and have never experienced a single issue. But anyway - that was my first thought.... my other idea was maybe it was inflammation from something I was eating. I tend to eat a lot of eggs and I know they can be an inflammatory food so I thought - OK, maybe cut out eggs for a month and see how I feel. My third thought was possibly due to a product I use - i have some acne issues so I use a glycolic acid product and thought maybe that was causing it (kind of far-fetched, but I was just brain storming).
So for the past 2 months I've been cutting out some of the things I've mentioned and haven't had any real success. I noticed that after giving up eggs for 2 weeks and then having them that it did exacerbate my knee pain but it definitely wasn't causing it because it was still there even after not eating them....
Then about a month ago I started having some bad shoulder pain too which was just out of nowhere and really weird but it was consistent....
ok so long story short, i'll get to the point - I went back to assuming it was from working out, I felt like I had narrowed it down to that. So this past week I went to visit family in Florida for Christmas (I live in NY). I told myself it was a perfect time to give my body a break from working out and see how I feel. So I didn't work out at all for 7 days. I felt GREAT while I was in Florida - not a single feeling of pain in either my knees or my shoulders. So of course I start to assume it's from working out because that's what I was taking a break from.
So I get back home last night, and literally within like 2 hours of being in my apartment, I started to feel pain again.... I got home late so I went to bed soon after getting home and I woke up in the middle of the night in so much pain in both my knees and my shoulders.... I got up to use the bathroom and I felt so stiff and awful. It lasted all night and now when I woke up this morning I still have a lot of pain. Now I can definitely 100% rule out exercise causing this because I hadn't worked out in 7 days and felt fine in Florida.
So now I'm convinced there is something in my apartment - specifically my bedroom - that is making me feel this way. I have no idea what to do.... Could it also maybe be my bed?? should I get all new bedding/sheets/pillows? I haven't bought new sheets or bedding in a few years and my pillow is really old but my mattress is new, it's only from 2014. I don't know.... I'm at a loss... and I'm beside myself that I feel this way. The other thing I could do is test it out again by staying somewhere else for a week (we have a beach house about an hour away) and coming back to my apartment and seeing if it happens again? or do I get my apartment tested for mold or something?? Do I tell my landlord? I have no clue what is going on but the fact that I felt 100% fine somewhere else for a week and then felt ****ty as soon as I came home is telling i think....
You said eating eggs seemed to have some effect so maybe there are more foods involved. Most allergenic foods to try would be dairy, wheat, things like that. Things you eat all the time. What did you NOT eat in Florida that could have caused these issues to stop? Anything?
Unless you are using some strong cleaning product or something else that's toxic, I have no idea what it could be. You could try using unscented, non toxic products and maybe get a new plastic or other type of mattress cover in case it is the mattress. Even if the mattress didn't bother you at first, these things build up in your system so sealing the mattress might be a good idea. I've known other people who got sick from the smell of the new mattress.
Hopefully someone here can come up with some clues for you. I would not call the landlord but you might ask your neighbors if they're having any sort of reaction to something. The landlord could have done something to the building (but I don't know what.) Maybe a neighbor would smell mold in your apartment or they would be able to identify some other odor.
Have you brought any new furniture into the house like a new sofa or chair? I've had one chair cause some back pain and another cause knee pain. The knee pain was from sitting with one leg under me, so it was my own doing. The one with back pain was from overstuffing.
A new pillow would be a good start because your old one may be changing your alignment as it flattens. You can also look into foam for the bed.
You can try to test if it's something only in your bedroom. If your sofa is comfortable enough, try sleeping in the living room to see if it makes a difference. Or, you can move your mattress into the living room to see if sleeping there helps.
There's also the possibility that your body is reacting to the atmosphere -- cold, damp, dryness, whatever. I think in-newengland had some great suggestions with thinking about what you ate while in Florida and asking your neighbors if they've noticed anything. Also think about the bed and other furniture you used while in Florida because it seemed to agree with you.
You said eating eggs seemed to have some effect so maybe there are more foods involved. Most allergenic foods to try would be dairy, wheat, things like that. Things you eat all the time. What did you NOT eat in Florida that could have caused these issues to stop? Anything?
Unless you are using some strong cleaning product or something else that's toxic, I have no idea what it could be. You could try using unscented, non toxic products and maybe get a new plastic or other type of mattress cover in case it is the mattress. Even if the mattress didn't bother you at first, these things build up in your system so sealing the mattress might be a good idea. I've known other people who got sick from the smell of the new mattress.
Hopefully someone here can come up with some clues for you. I would not call the landlord but you might ask your neighbors if they're having any sort of reaction to something. The landlord could have done something to the building (but I don't know what.) Maybe a neighbor would smell mold in your apartment or they would be able to identify some other odor.
So the really strange thing is that I ate a lot WORSE in Florida than i normally do because I was staying with my boyfriend's family and they aren't the healthiest. So I was eating really crappy things like pizza, bagels, chicken parm, etc lol... definitely not what I normally eat at home. but it's strange because I felt *better* there than at home.... I know most people would say give up gluten but I loaded up on gluten in Florida and felt fine... Maybe I need to focus on what I'm eating at home - I guess even if it's "healthy" maybe it just doesn't agree with me. Thank you for the response!
Quote:
Originally Posted by FreshTomato
Have you brought any new furniture into the house like a new sofa or chair? I've had one chair cause some back pain and another cause knee pain. The knee pain was from sitting with one leg under me, so it was my own doing. The one with back pain was from overstuffing.
A new pillow would be a good start because your old one may be changing your alignment as it flattens. You can also look into foam for the bed.
You can try to test if it's something only in your bedroom. If your sofa is comfortable enough, try sleeping in the living room to see if it makes a difference. Or, you can move your mattress into the living room to see if sleeping there helps.
There's also the possibility that your body is reacting to the atmosphere -- cold, damp, dryness, whatever. I think in-newengland had some great suggestions with thinking about what you ate while in Florida and asking your neighbors if they've noticed anything. Also think about the bed and other furniture you used while in Florida because it seemed to agree with you.
I hope you find what's causing your problem.
I have a really awful pillow and have been meaning to get a new one for a while now it's just tough to find a new one that I like. but I'm thinking I should start with that... it's an easy enough thing to start with. And as far as sleeping somewhere else - we do have a spare bedroom and I was thinking i got put an air mattress in there for a week and then sleep there and see if anything changes.
I guess I was just worried there's mold or something toxic in the bedroom making me feel this way
I just looked back at your post and you said it started two hours after getting back to your apartment, so unless you ate something different at your apartment, it does sound like it's something in your apartment. Something in the air? Or just the furniture itself? Keep on experimenting! Stay at your beach house. Sleep in a different bed.
You probably won't fix it by buying NEW bedding because the chemicals that would cause anything would be present in the NEW bedding and would have been washed out of old bedding. But don't rule out old bedding that's been washed in something with some sort of "scented" soap.
You could try to test yourself for a Lyme disease/antibodies and co-occurring diseases- more than 10-12?
Asymmetrical pain like one knee at one period of time, then the other knee at a different period, or one ankle, one shoulder- the pain comes and goes- could be the symptom.
Florida could be explained by diversion of your routine, so you might not focus on your pain. The warmth could have helped your aches too.
Do you experience a mental fog? a general fatigue, a waning willpower, depressive episodes, hair falling out, etc.?
In addition you could do an allergy test - blood is more precise than skin tests
Sorry, that you are going through this - hope you get better
I think there are mold detection tests you can do yourself. I would test for mold as well, possibly test for allergies at an allergy center. Some people can be extremely allergic to dustmites, pollen, etc. Check to see your vents are clear?
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